James Laurain

James Tech Copywriting

Freelance Technical Marketing for some of the best brands in tech.

Freelance Technical Marketer

Aampe

Building the first truly AI-driven approach to CRM Marketing Automation, allowing apps to create personalized, omni-channel customer experiences proven to increase customer engagement and retention.

Head of Growth

Propel, Inc

Growth Advisor

Thought Bakery

Helping some of the biggest brands in B2B pull fresh business from the oven with damn delicious copy and content! 🧁

Content Strategy

Avnet

Wielding the awesome power of over 2,500 engineers, best-in-class design houses, a decade of personal experience and the resources of a near $20B company like Thor's mighty hammer.

Let's build something!

**Achieved rank in the top 50 account managers in the company for 3 quarters running.**

Account Manager (Non-Traditional)

AMA Southwest Michigan

Helping connect fellow Marketers to brilliant ideas from the best thought leaders in the industry - which ultimately saves our customers from having to suffer though the horrible marketing they've almost come to expect. 😐

Director, Membership

YETi CGI

We need to stop making things that suck.

YETi CGI is a team of misfits with a strong background in Game Theory and creating Ambient User Experiences. With extensive cross-industry experience, they focus on and dream up amazing user experiences and then bring them to life – with an incredible, diverse team of experts who can make large amounts of complexity seem completely transparent. 

I get to help YETi talent scout for new technologies, architect hardware platforms, and find places where they can add huge amounts of value…but mostly I learn from the wisdom of each unbelievably talented member of the group.

Field Engineer

Bear VAI Technology

Built great relationships, gained invaluable experience, won multiple awards, and had, what I consider to be, great successes - not by pushing products - but by doing what I love - connecting with people, connecting people to technology, sharing cross-industry best practices and innovations, and pushing technology forward for the sake of mankind.

Field Sales Engineer

Stryker

Working with world-class suppliers (domestic and international) to ensure world class designs and products. 

Strategic Sourcing: Evaluating suppliers and supply chains to ensure the best match and most efficient choice for the production of components, assemblies, and finished products.

Supplier Assessment/Development: Understanding strengths and weaknesses of suppliers and supply chains to ensure proper supplier positioning, selection, and utilization, and spearheading development activities to equip suppliers with the knowledge of industry best practices (pertaining to validation, calibration, safety testing, etc.) needed to improve their processes.

Liaised between Stryker and suppliers for R&D Projects, translating designs, feedback, and requirements to suppliers and facilitating discussions around supplier-proposed Design for Manufacturability, cost reduction, and quality improvements.

Staff Advanced Sourcing Engineer

Ensuring Compliance of Medical Devices under the design control of Stryker Instruments to the applicable, industry-recognized safety standards.

Created a simple excel macro which took several input parameters and, from them, manipulated the related six tables in the IEC 60601-1 Standard to output the correct creepage and clearance values. 

I posted this "tool" on LinkedIn, and, since then, I've been asked for copies by dozens of engineers in several countries (including members of the safety agencies themselves).

Sr. Product Safety/Certifications Engineer

Working closely with Product Design Teams by relating standards to products and creating inventive solutions to ensure end-product compliance to the relevant Medical Industry Standards.

Acting as a liaison between Stryker and CSA, IEC, UL, TUV and other certification bodies to ensure proper application of standards, and, ultimately, end-product safety.

Product Safety/Certifications Engineer

Managing a floor of 60+ assemblers by maintaining and improving fixtures, processes, designs and work instructions with a focus on line balance, process efficiency, and end-product quality. Overseeing and evaluating rework processes from a risk perspective. Supporting the unit through 2 FDA audits.

Electrical/Manufacturing Engineer

Haden

Gallivanting across the countryside from automotive plant to automotive plant in an all-to-stylish hard hat that made even the strongest safety officers quiver in fear.

Technical Service Engineer - Co-op

💬 Learn your users through the messages you send | Featured in Forbes, TechCrunch

Looking for a way to tell your kids how beautiful they are on the inside? 👨‍👨‍👧‍👦

I was, so I wrote a book about it. 😅 

Get your copy here!!! 👇

🦎 MabelTheChameleon.com! 🦎 

---

My dad always told me that the key to success was to surround myself with brilliant people...and I think he was on to something. 😅

All in all, I've had an amazing career filled with incredible opportunities that I never would have even dreamed of or imagined, and it all stemmed from following this simple principle. 

I've done everything from medical device engineering, to growing my B2B Tech copywriting business from $0 to 6-figures in less than a year, to leading the growth engine for an up-and-coming SaaS startup fighting against the status quo of crappy push notifications. 🤺

...and who knows what's around the next turn.


👉 Please connect with me if you'd like to share with me on this journey!


Interests:
👶 Kids/Family
🪕 Banjo
🍞 Sourdough bread baking
🧔 Dad jokes
🤷‍♂️ Random Facts

Conversational Tech Copywriter

You're probably really proud of your tech - No one knows it better than you do.

...which is exactly why you shouldn't be writing your own copy.


Wait...What?!?


Yep. That's right.


See, when you're 'too close' to your tech, you start to develop your own language and assumptions.

Worse yet, you start to get blind to what your customers do and don't know.

It's not unique to you, it's just really hard to read the label of the jar you're in.


As an Engineer with an unhealthy obsession with consumer psychology, I can come alongside your technical team and help translate your features and differentiators into relevant and relatable messaging that speaks to your customers where they are.

Interested? Drop me a DM. 

Stuck on the endless hamster wheel of revisions? You’re not alone, and you’re not doing it wrong. You may just need a clearer process and the right help along the way. That’s what I’m here for.

Maybe you:
👉🏻 Struggled with voice, tense, flow, word choice, or grammar as you wrote
👉🏻 Finished writing a manuscript and are now ready to self-edit
👉🏻 Completed some editing already but feel like you’re going nowhere

I currently offer three distinct services to transform your editing journey for the better.

📌 Done-for-You Editing: Put Your Book on Par with the Pros 📌
Line editing and copyediting on fiction, nonfiction, short stories, and business communications. 
To see more, check here: https://www.jeanettethewriter.com/editingservices

My editing clients say things like:
💬  “The edits she made were both educational and a clear example of the value of human editors for improving readability while maintaining nuance.”

💬  “Great communication, delivered ahead of time and educated me throughout the process. I can't recommend Jeanette enough!”

📌 Everyone Should Edit: A Self-Paced Course on Self-Editing 📌
Learn the mindset, knowledge, and tools needed to self-edit your fiction manuscript. 
To see more, check here: https://www.jeanettethewriter.com/self-editing

My course participants say things like:

💬  “[Jeanette] shares her knowledge in an energetic, fun way and makes the material easy to absorb.”

💬  “I’ve seen a major improvement in my editing skills, and I feel much more confident in my writing!”

📌 Compass Call: To Point You in the Right Direction 📌
Receive personalized feedback on a large chunk of your writing to help identify strengths, areas for improvement, and the steps you need going forward. 
To see more, check here: https://www.jeanettethewriter.com/self-editing

My Compass Call clients say things like:
💬  “Upon receiving her feedback, I was blown away.”

💬  “Jeanette bolstered my confidence where she could have taken from it, never making me feel stupid for mistakes.”

In my spare time, I’m a devoted cat mom, fiction writer, and recreational mermaid (for real). I have self-published the book Modern Mer: Become the Mermaid of Your Dreams, available on Amazon, and my short story collection, Perspectives, is currently on submission for publication.

DM or email me (Jeanette@jeanettethewriter.com) to discuss your next steps toward publication. Let’s get that story finished and polished!

Not ready for editing services just yet? Hit the follow button and keep checking out my posts for more editing insights and tips.

Jeanette Smith

If you use AI and then lie about it, that indicates (to me) that you are not morally comfortable with your usage. Which begs the question . . .

Why are you using it in the first place?

Seriously. We tend to hide things out of shame. If you are ashamed of your AI usage, then were you really comfortable using AI to begin with?

I would say no. You probably compromised on your morals for the sake of convenience, and now you don’t want people to know.

If you won’t loudly and proudly declare your AI usage, then ask yourself why.

Now, you may be thinking “Well, it’s the world that shames me for using it. I’m perfectly fine with my usage.”

The world also shames people for cheating on a partner or harming someone, but people do that all the time with the same justification—I’m perfectly fine with it even if others aren’t. That doesn’t mean it’s moral.

Sure, we also shame people for things that don’t have to do with morality, like someone’s sexual orientation or religion. And many of those people proudly stand up and declare themselves anyway, knowing it's the other person with the messed-up priorities.

So if you’re thinking “AI usage isn’t a morality problem,” then I hope you’re ready to reveal your usage to the world, since there’s clearly no problem with it.

Either way, if you’re hiding your AI usage, then you are internally conflicted, and you should sit down with yourself and explore why.

What about you? How do you feel about revealing AI use?

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

Copyeditor Who Enhances ✨ Not Destroys 🪓 Your Words | Moving Commas since 2017 | Freelance Content Writer | Fiction Writer | Mermaid Instagrammer

🚨 Imposter Syndrome Alert 🚨

My apprenticeship application just shut down . . . and HOLY COW!!!

First of all, it only took 2 hours and 50 minutes to hit the 25 application cap.

The applicants hail from 12 US states (across 4 time zones), 8 countries, and 6 CONTINENTS!

Literally a global applicant pool. 🤯

While that is amazing and super cool to be able to say, it also made reality come crashing down.

These people believe in me enough to trust me with their future career path. Talk about pressure!

To everyone who applied, please know that this will be among the hardest professional decisions I’ve ever had to make.

I am deeply honored by you all!

And while my nervous system is telling me I’m anxious about delivering what I promised, my brain knows I can do it.

Everyone faces imposter syndrome, no matter whether you’re starting out or have been at it for years.

But I always turn back to a Steven Pressfield quote in The War of Art: “The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”

If you’re nervous, that means it means something. Go back to your logic and remember why you’re qualified to do what people are counting on you to do.

At least, that’s the tactic I’m going to be using today as I start to explore these applications.

Again, to everyone who applied, thank you for your trust. I promise you’ll hear from me on the 21st.

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

I only set goals that are within my control.

Enter: my 2026 literary career sticker charts. 

Every 2K words or querying 2 literary agents gets me a box. Can I make it to the end?

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

Where is the line between optimism and delusion?

As a writer and freelancer, I contemplate this a lot.

There’s a common trend on social media right now where people will encourage you to overthink the good things instead of the bad. Overthink how successful you can be, how much money you can make, how many good things could come your way.

As a freelancer, I partially concur. It’s critical to believe in our own success.

But when does positive thinking turn toxic?

At what point are you lying to yourself to avoid the reality of the situation?

I feel this hard as a creative writer too.

I’ve sent stories to over 300 literary journals—and been published in 6. I’ve entered countless writing competitions—and have won none. I’ve queried my short story collection and novel to almost 100 agents and publishers—and have no takers.

At what point do I stop believing? Should I ever? What happens if I do or don’t?

I don’t have answers to these questions. I’m sincerely asking for you to comment and start a discourse on this subject. I think hearing diverse perspectives can help writers and freelancers alike learn how to stay “optimistically realistic” (a mindset I currently try to occupy but am struggling with).

So, please, I’d love to know: Where do you draw the line between optimism and delusion?

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

Dear Jeanette,

Wow. I came across your book the other day when I was browsing my local indie bookstore. I didn’t know quite what to expect, except that it would be different. I have to say, I was blown away. When I read your stories, I feel like anything is possible. No story is too outlandish.

I have to admit, some of the stories were hard to relate to. After all, I’ve never been a fish, or a necktie, or an ashtray. And yet, I felt their feelings. I understood their perspectives. Somehow, they became more human than I am. To be able to imagine these scenarios—that is truly creative.

Your stories make me want to read more short stories and flash fiction. I usually love novels, but your collection showed me that short stories aren’t just quick reads. They can be deeply thought-provoking, and I still think of some of your stories long after first reading them.

When I read your work, it reminds me of my favorite authors, the ones who really said something on top of writing a good story. I want you to know that I put your book on my shelf. Usually, I read so much that I pass books along, but this one is too special to give up. I’ll tell my friends about your book, of course, so they can get their own copies. Thank you for writing a book worth keeping.

I can’t wait to see what you write next!

===

The above is a fan letter I wrote to myself as I was working on my short story collection. It's complete now, and I'm currently querying it with publishers and agents. 

The exercise of writing this allowed me to clarify what I wanted readers to get out of the book, how I wanted them to feel after reading it. It also acts as a customer persona for marketing the book. 

If you're writing a book, take a moment to write yourself a future fan letter. Then hang it in your writing or editing space to remind you what you're working toward.

Then come back here and tell us how it felt!

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

I have unsubscribed from sooooo many emails, which is why I feel particularly tickled when I see how many people love my monthly newsletter.

Seriously! My first email of the year went out yesterday to 354 people. Over 57% have opened the email in 24 hours, and 6 people have responded personally to the email to continue the discourse.

When’s the last time you can say you read an email newsletter like that?

Here’s a free taste of my newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gbZGPRVS

And here’s where you can sign up to get it for the rest of this year: https://lnkd.in/giuTxrvU

I’d love to see you there!

P.S. The email has more cat pics!

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

Timing is everything!

Which is why accurately quoting a timeline for a project is critical.

Here’s my formula for timing a copyedit . . .

➡️ Format the manuscript
(This tells me the starting page count for the book.)

➡️ Multiply the page count by 2
(This tells me the total number of pages because I complete two passes on the manuscript.)

➡️ Perform a timed sample edit
(This tells me how many pages I can complete on average in an hour.)

➡️ Multiply my pages per hour by 4
(This tells me how many pages I can edit in a day, which is usually no longer than four hours for me.)

➡️ Divide the total pages by pages per day
(This tells me how many total days it would take to complete two passes at my average hourly speed, estimating four hours per day.)

➡️ Add in rest days and weekends
(This allows me to keep a healthy work-life balance.)

➡️ Add a buffer
(These are “just in case” days. If I don’t need them, then the manuscript gets returned early.)

➡️ Give the author time with the manuscript
(This is the moment for any last-minute changes and change approvals.)

➡️ Book time for a “cleanup” pass
(This happens over a few days and ensures you have an as-close-to-error-free-as-possible final manuscript.)

And that’s it, folks!

That’s how I time my projects.

This is, of course, assuming I have only one editing project at a time. If I have overlapping projects, time will be added to each to account for split workdays.

The biggest variable here is the pages-per-hour rate. This is why I ask for your five “best” and five “worst” pages as a sample. I time myself on part of each and average them together.

All of this ensures I can do quality work while not wasting the author’s time or delaying their project.

Editors, how do you time your projects?

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

We do it with the backspace key. We do it with erasers. We do it with whiteout.

But the ancients used to do it with a palimpsest.

Check out today’s Wordy Wednesday video to learn all about these ancient writing and parchment-saving techniques.

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

Happy Wordy Wednesday!

Today’s word is . . .

Anacoluthon

Anacoluthon is the sudden and un—oh well, just watch the video.

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I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

Saturday Spicy Take: Having pets is like having a human baby/toddler.

And . . . Discuss!

(See the comments for my take.)

===

I’m Jeanette 👋 a copyeditor, line editor, award-winning self-editing instructor, and mermaid. Follow my profile to see more of me in your feed!

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